Posted on: March 27th, 2011 by riddaway
Clare Finney meets Melvita founder Bernard Chevilliat – a man who moved from bee-keeping to beauty products, and made it seem like an entirely natural career path
What a difference a word makes. Take a tub of yellowish, ‘natural’ smelling cream, add the label ‘organic’ and an eye-watering price tag, and you can almost guarantee you’ll find gullible consumers queuing up to grab a quick fix for that common irritant – a conscience. It’s become the hallmark of a health fanatic, a byword for beauty – but just what does the word ‘organic’ actually mean?
Not a lot, apparently – at least not in the context of the British beauty industry. While organic food producers in Britain are accredited by the Soil Association and regulated by DEFRA, with cosmetics there is no one governing the use of the word. In the past, this has led to legions of so-called ‘organic’ labels jumping on the ginseng train. Yet for French label Melvita of St Martin’s Courtyard, being “resolutely organic” isn’t just clever marketing. It’s their raison d’etre.
“Every single product carries the Ecocert logo, a standard our founder actually helped establish,” Simon, Melvita’s brand manager, tells me proudly. “Ecocert is a French organic certification organisation, responsible for 80 countries across the world – so while in the UK it’s still a very grey area, this logo certifies that we really are organic”.
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Posted on: March 17th, 2011 by riddaway
Clare Finney and Holly Cox take a sniff around spring make-up from Covent Garden’s most delectable beauty boutiques. For a homegrown version you can follow the instructions here; for the full blown flower, however, you’ll probably need make up artist Angelina from Screenface, hair stylists from the Covent Garden Salon - and a handful of sheer audacity
Viola x Wittrockiana
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Posted on: March 17th, 2011 by riddaway
Nicole Farhi has remained at fashion’s forefront for nearly 30 years; Shannon Denny endeavours to learn a few of her tricks
Fashion may have a certain reputation for being fickle, but there is a handful of designers whose work remains relevant and desirable not only from one short season to the next, but year after year – even decade in, decade out. Nicole Farhi falls gracefully into that camp, with a list of accolades for her services as long as a supermodel’s arm.
The winner of four British Fashion Awards for her collections for women, she has been named menswear designer of the year at the FHM awards and British designer of the year at the Maxim awards. She won a Fifi – the fragrance industry’s version of the Oscars – for Nicole Farhi Homme. Then in 2007 she received the CBE for her services, and added a Légion d’honneur only last year.
What’s the formula for her success? Nicole was born in Nice to Turkish parents and at first thought she might become a painter. After studying art and sculpture she moved to Paris to train in fashion. Her career began with a job as a freelance designer in Paris; she next worked in Italy and then in the early 70s moved to England, where she and Stephen Marks became partners both professionally and personally. Together they founded the French Connection fashion label and then gave birth to a daughter in 1975.
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Posted on: March 16th, 2011 by riddaway
Posted on: March 15th, 2011 by riddaway
Jean Paul Aubin parvu learns the way of the florist at the Covent Garden Academy of Flowers
Say it with flowers. How many men have chanted this mantra only to then buy the last bunch of weeds left wilting on the petrol station forecourt? Well I like to be different, which is why I’ve entered The Covent Garden Academy of Flowers. But I’m not here to buy from the ground floor shop. I want to learn how to create my own display – and that kind of floral alchemy happens downstairs.
I am welcomed by the principal, Gillian Wheeler, who shows me around her spacious classroom. There are bucket loads of fresh flowers and foliage down one end and ornate vases standing to attention here and there. On shelves live countless flower design books and there’s even a music system. I’ve definitely come to the right place.
Five lovely lasses are sat around one of the workbenches. I plonk myself down and discover that they are spending the week here on a bespoke flower design course. Eleanor runs The Angels, a Harrogate based company specialising in stylish events. She and her two colleagues want to extend their knowledge about flower design, thereby pushing the boundaries of what they can create for their clients. The other two ladies are Eleanor’s best clients, who are along for the ride. They also happen to be mother and daughter – though they could easily pass for sisters.
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What a difference a word makes. Take a tub of yellowish, ‘natural’ smelling cream, add the label ‘organic’ and an eye-watering price tag, and you can almost guarantee you’ll find gullible consumers queuing up to grab a quick fix for that common irritant – a conscience. It’s become the hallmark of a health fanatic, a byword for beauty – but just what does the word ‘organic’ actually mean?
